POTATO SUPPLY

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26506, 22 August 1951, Page 6

POTATO SUPPLY

DIFFICULTIES IN -ASSESSING CROP

BOARD ASKS GROWERS FOR INFORMATION Although there are heavy supplies o£ potatoes for North Island markets, it is possible that the season may finish with a surplus in North Canterbury. In such case, provided reasonably early shipment is arranged, a market will be available in Australia. The difficulty at present is to ascertain the quantity of potatoes still to be marxeted.

The Potato Board, said its executive officer, Mr M. P. H. Rousham, yesterday, was very exercised over the position. mainly because of the lack of co-operation on the part of growers in furnishing the necessary information. On July 27, 630 growers, covering 6700 acres of potatoes, were circularised by .the board in an effort to ascertain what quantities they had on hand of potatoes dug and graded, together with an estimate of the tonnage of the crops still in the ground. Up to the present, replies had been received from only about half of the growers circularised, • representing under 3000 acres. From these incomplete replies the board learned that at the middle of August 700 tons of potatoes. dug and graded, were in growers’ hands, together with 1300 tons dug but not graded, and 835 acres yet to be dug and estimated to yield 4000 tons. Markets Offering “Thus,” commented Mr Rousham, “because of the unco-operative attitude of growers, no reliable idea can be formed as to the quantity of potatoes still to be disposed of. The growers will only have themselves to blame if they are left with a surplus on their hands. We can arrange to dispose of the whole of this season’s crop to advantage, if we only know in time the total quantity offering. The only alternative to circularising growers at a cost of a few pounds would be the employment of field officers at a cost of thousands of pounds, and resulting in a very expensive and unnecessary tax on the industry.” Accompanied bv Mr H. J. Sommervllle, a member of the board, he had yesterdav waited on the executive of the Canterbury Grain and Produce Merchants' Association. The upshot was that merchants had agreed to carry out a survey of the Situation- among their individual contract clients, in an endeavour to arrive at an estimate of potatoes still to be marketed, for presentation to the next meeting of the board on September 4.

Hold-up at Lyttelton Mr Rousham said that the further increment of 15s a ton on all varieties of potatoes operative as from midnight on August 15 should encourage farmers to expedite marketing. Although still not wholly satisfactory, the shipping position had improved at Lyttelton and, if sufficient labour were forthcoming, deliveries to northern ports should be speeded up. All North Island centres were short of supplies at the moment. The shipping comSanies were meeting the situation, but le congestion at the port was causing the board much concern. Potatoes, this year, were yielding an unusually heavier proportion of table to seed. Large quantities of seed potatoes remained to be shipped, especially to the Manawatu, and as many as possible were being railed to Picton and thence shipped to northern Sorts. Another alternative means of ispatch was through Timaru, but the acute shortage of railway trucks prevented the employment of this outlet to . an L gr . eat extent. Irrespective of what the demand might be. there was no possibility whatever of shipping through Lyttelton the total quantity of potatoes, 278,000 sacks, handled by the port last vear.